German Trek End Copenhagen — Self-Launched
8 days · Germany & Denmark
Europamundo charges £1,000
No-markup version: ~£706 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent 8-day run from Frankfurt to Copenhagen, following the same route as Europamundo's coach tour: Rhine gorge cruise, Cologne Cathedral, the Fairy Tale Route castles (Trendelburg, Polle, Corvey Abbey), Hannover, Berlin, then a long hop north to Copenhagen. Instead of a 4-star coach-and-guide setup, you'll use German rail (ICE/IC trains, a Deutsche Bahn regional day ticket, and the ICE Berlin–Copenhagen run via Hamburg) plus hostels and budget hotels, self-booked boat trips and castle tickets. All costs are rough per-person backpacker estimates.
Day-by-day
Arrive Frankfurt — riverside old town
Frankfurt am Main
Land at Frankfurt and take the S-Bahn (S8/S9, ~£4) into the Hauptbahnhof or Konstablerwache area. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the station, then walk the Römerberg square and the rebuilt half-timbered old town, cross the Eiserner Steg footbridge at sunset and grab a beer in Sachsenhausen. Sort out your Deutsche Bahn tickets on the app tonight.
🚌S-Bahn from FRA airport to city centre (~£4)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (dorm £25–32 / private from £55)
- →Römerberg & Frankfurt Old Town walk
- →Eiserner Steg riverside sunset
- →Sachsenhausen cider taverns
Rhine Gorge cruise & Cologne Cathedral, on to Dortmund
Frankfurt → Dortmund
Take a regional train to Rüdesheim (via Wiesbaden, ~£10 with a Rheinland regional day ticket) and ride the public KD ferry through the UNESCO Rhine Gorge from Rüdesheim to Sankt Goar (roughly £15–18 one way, book at the pier or on kdrhine.com) — castles, vineyards and Loreley rock without a coach. Train onward to Cologne (IC/ICE ~£18) to see the cathedral for free, then a late IC service to Dortmund (~£12).
🚌Regional train + KD ferry + IC Cologne–Dortmund (~£55 total)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Dortmund (dorm £25–30)
- →KD Rhine Gorge ferry Rüdesheim–Sankt Goar
- →Cologne Cathedral (free entry)
- →Cologne old town riverside stroll
Fairy Tale Route castles by regional train
Dortmund → Trendelburg / Höxter / Hannover
Buy a Schönes-Wochenende/Quer-durchs-Land or NRW regional day ticket (~£20–25) and hit the Grimms' Fairy Tale Route independently. Trendelburg Castle and its Rapunzel Tower are reachable by bus from Hofgeismar station (small admission fee, ~£4); Polle ruins and Corvey Abbey near Höxter (UNESCO listed, ~£6) sit on the Nordwestbahn line from Paderborn. Finish with a stroll by Hannover's old town hall and sleep in Hannover.
🚌Regional day ticket for multiple trains/buses (~£25)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hannover (dorm £26–32)
- →Trendelburg Castle & Rapunzel Tower
- →Polle Cinderella castle ruins
- →Corvey Abbey UNESCO site
- →Hannover Altstadt & Neues Rathaus
Hannover to Berlin — optional Goslar or Quedlinburg
Hannover → Berlin
A Quer-durchs-Land ticket (~£24) lets you break the journey: detour to Goslar (medieval imperial town, UNESCO) or Quedlinburg (half-timbered old town and castle hill) on the way east, then continue to Berlin. Check into a hostel in Kreuzberg/Mitte and spend the evening on the Spree or in a beer garden. Alternatively take a direct ICE (~£15 booked early).
🚌Regional trains on a Quer-durchs-Land ticket (~£24)
🛏Hostel in Berlin Mitte/Kreuzberg (dorm £22–30)
- →Goslar or Quedlinburg old town detour
- →Berlin evening stroll along the Spree
Berlin self-launched — Wall, Memorial, Museumsinsel
Berlin
Do the free New Europe / Sandemans 'free' walking tour (tip £8–12) to cover Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag exterior, Checkpoint Charlie and Museum Island, then visit the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße and the Holocaust Memorial — both free. Add an AB transport day ticket (~£8) and optionally the Reichstag dome (free, book online in advance). Cheap dinner: currywurst or a Döner in Kreuzberg.
🚌Berlin AB day ticket (~£8)
🛏Hostel in Berlin Mitte/Kreuzberg (dorm £22–30)
- →Free Berlin walking tour (tip-based)
- →Berlin Wall Memorial (free)
- →Holocaust Memorial (free)
- →Reichstag dome (free, pre-book)
Berlin to Copenhagen — overland via Hamburg
Berlin → Copenhagen
Take the ICE Berlin–Hamburg (~£20 booked ahead), then the direct EuroCity/ICE to Copenhagen over the Fehmarnbelt (~£30–40, 4h30 total). Budget alternative: FlixBus Berlin–Copenhagen from ~£20 if you book well ahead. Arrive at Sydhavn/Vesterbro and settle into a hostel — Danish prices bite, so cook or eat at a bakery/rejsehjemmet-style canteen.
🚌ICE/EC train Berlin–Copenhagen (~£45, less if booked early)
🛏Hostel in Vesterbro/Sydhavn, Copenhagen (dorm £30–38)
- →Optional stopover in Hamburg's Speicherstadt
- →Vesterbro evening wander
Copenhagen — canal tour, Nyhavn, Little Mermaid
Copenhagen
Join a self-bookable 1-hour canal boat tour from Nyhavn (GetYourGuide, ~£15) and walk the harbour route to the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace (changing of the guard at noon, free) and Town Hall Square. Skip Tivoli's gates unless a concert tempts you (entry ~£18 plus rides). Night out: Reffen street food or a cheap sandwich from a smørrebrød counter.
🚌City metro/on foot with a 24hr City Pass (~£10)
🛏Hostel in Vesterbro/Sydhavn, Copenhagen (dorm £30–38)
- →Nyhavn canal boat tour (~£15)
- →Little Mermaid & Amalienborg Palace
- →Town Hall Square & Strøget
- →Reffen street food market
Copenhagen departure
Copenhagen
Last morning for a swim at Islands Brygge or a bakery breakfast, then metro to Kastrup Airport (24hr City Pass covers it, ~£5 single) for your flight out. If you're heading onward, the Øresund train to Malmö takes 35 minutes (~£12).
🚌Metro M2 to CPH Airport (~£5)
🛏—
- →Islands Brygge harbour swim (free)
- →Last bakery breakfast
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£706 | £1,000 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £294 per person (29%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£706
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does German Trek End Copenhagen — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £706 per person for 8 days in Germany & Denmark. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £1,000 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £706 — a saving of roughly £294 (29%) per person.
How long is the Germany & Denmark trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Germany & Denmark.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, budget trip through Germany & Denmark, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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